We Climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro for Carlos
Carlos
Unchained at the Summit: Courage, Anime, and the Overcoming Power of Carlos
If you met Carlos in a room, his heavy-set eyebrows and serious expression might give you pause. But wait five seconds, and you’ll see the grin break through. Behind that quiet intensity is a guy who laughs constantly, roots for Batman, tracks down the latest volumes of One Piece, carefully paints tiny army model kits, and believes that a single good joke can heal someone’s pain, even if just for a moment.
He’s also a guy who knows what it means to fight.
Living through a kidney cancer diagnosis—and the demanding surgeries and treatments that follow—can reduce a person to numbers, scans, and notes on a medical chart. But if there’s one thing Carlos wants the world to know, it’s this: he is not fragile.
The "Overcome Everything" Superpower
Long before Carlos ever faced a hospital room, he was a freshman in high school drawing his own comic books. When brainstorming the ultimate ability for his self-inspired hero, he didn't pick super strength or flight. He created The Power to Overcome Everything—an ability with no upper limit, where power is forged directly through the obstacles you face.
Life turned out to be the ultimate writer’s room. Carlos was tested early, managing to live independently and hold down a home while fighting severe health battles at a young age. When asked about a memory that captures his soul, he doesn't talk about illness—he talks about a middle school dodgeball tournament. Picture it: every single one of his classmates eliminated, Carlos standing alone on the court against an entire opposing team. One by one, he took them down, clutching the victory single-handedly to the roar of the crowd.
That is Carlos in a nutshell: the guy who rises when the odds stack up.
Driven by Roots, Fueled by Love
Where does that resilience come from? If you ask Carlos, the battery charges in one place: next to his mother, Elizabeth Alicea.
A self-proclaimed proud momma’s boy, Carlos draws his deepest strength from the woman who faced her own relentless health struggles after coming to the United States. Seeing her thrive today gives him the joy and certainty that everything is going to be okay. His strength is rooted deeply in his heritage—in the rhythm of Salsa, Bomba, and Reggaeton, the lush greens of El Yunque rainforest, the sun-soaked Caribbean beaches, and the steady night song of the native Coquí tree frog.
Carrying the Spirit to the Peak
As our team of climbers prepares to ascend, they aren't just carrying Carlos's name up the mountain; they are carrying a message of total liberation.
Carlos’s definition of resilience isn't just about surviving—it's about falling down, picking yourself up with faith in a better tomorrow, and living in the moment because no one is guaranteed a next page. When our climbers reach the summit and look out over the expanse, we aren't celebrating a diagnosis or a battle with illness. We are celebrating the fact that his health will never be a chain keeping him from his goals, and that he is wrapped in life, not disease.
To the team heading up the slopes, Carlos offers profound gratitude. And to any young person currently sitting in a hospital room or fighting a scary diagnosis, he leaves his signature battle cry:
"Never give up and do not let anyone discourage you. You are unique and loved just as you are. And you are the strongest individuals in the whole wide world."
Here’s to the summit, to Elizabeth, and to Carlos—a true clutch player, continuously unlocking his power to overcome.